NACS Human Resources Forum

Kick off the HR Forum with an interactive look at today’s pressing legal issues. Gain a clearer understanding of emerging risks, practical steps to strengthen compliance and insights from your HR peers.

This interactive pop-up panel puts your questions at the center of the conversation. Drawing from listserv discussions, hot topics, and questions from the room, HR professionals will share experiences, practical insights, and solutions. Come ready to ask, answer and learn from your HR peers!

Years of volatility, marked by wage pressures, talent shortages, and evolving workforce expectations- what’s different this year? In this session, the NACS Research team will break down the latest macroeconomic labor trends, share fresh insights from 2026 NACS Talent Insights survey, and highlight what these changes mean for the convenience industry.

What keeps employees and what drives them to leave? Explore practical retention strategies that go beyond compensation, including career pathing, recognition, and employee engagement. Hear what’s working for other retailers and gain ideas you can put into practice.

Strong HR and operations partnerships don’t happen by accident. Explore how better communication, shared priorities, and a deeper understanding of the business can help HR build trust and credibility with operational leaders.

Explore practical approaches to store manager training, including coaching versus directing, navigating difficult conversations, creating consistent accountability, developing emotional intelligence, and helping high performers become effective managers.

Move beyond the buzz and discover practical ways HR leaders can put AI to work today. Explore real-world applications for communication, recruiting, training, employee engagement, and everyday HR tasks, along with tips for using AI responsibly and effectively.

What makes certain leaders energizing to be around, and how can you become one of them? In this session, Emma Seppälä, faculty director of Yale’s Women’s Leadership Program, explores the science and practice of positively energizing leadership. She’ll share strategies to build resilience, strengthen relationships, and elevate team performance in the workplace.

HR leaders are constantly balancing the needs of today with the demands of tomorrow. Explore how to move beyond reactive problem-solving, align HR priorities with the business, and position HR as a catalyst for stronger leaders, teams, and organizations.

What will define the next era of HR? Explore the workforce expectations, technology, skills, and leadership trends reshaping the workplace. Consider how HR can anticipate change, adapt its strategies, and prepare its people and organization for what comes next.